All of that jackhammering, beeping, knocking down, building up, and ripping to shreds must be for something.

The culprit is all of the construction going on this past year and  continuing to plague campus this summer.

The main victims of these construction plans are the roads and pathways that lead students to their destinations. All of those paths that zig-zag around campus are a part of road system that is now in Phase IV. According to the Office of Physical Plant’s projected costs, last year alone the utilities and road construction cost $5.8 million.

This summer there are many road blockages and construction sites to be aware of as you wander the streets of University Park.  The Old Main/Obelisk Sidewalk Replacement project is currently in Phase I (May 17th – July 5th). During this phase, sod will be installed in order to restore the grass in the area. In Phase II (July 12th – August 13th), we can expect additional grass seeding.

A second project is the Fraser Street Scape Improvement Project. This is currently ongoing, and is expected to be finished by August 13th in order to prepare for the 2010 fall semester. This involves some road closings, from Fraser Road to Pollock Road, as well as Curtin Road.  Instead of adding turf, this project includes new underground utilities, roadway, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping, as well as parking reconfiguration.

The third road improvement is for Pollock Road which will be improved between Bigler and Shortlidge. This includes new underground utilities, sidewalks, lighting and realignment of the Bigler-Pollock intersection. The final paving dates are from July 26- July 30th.

Although all this construction might seem overwhelming, the mission of the Office of Physical Plant is to “promote wise stewardship of the University’s physical plant and provide responsive, quality and cost-effective services in support of the University’s mission of teaching, research and service.”

No matter how annoying the beeping from the Stone/Snyder Hall parking lot construction was this past semester, the work of OPP is what makes our campus a beautiful place.

For more information on the sidewalk improvements click here.